Dallas & Houston Texas - job/relocation

I was transferred from London, UK last year to my company's office in New Orleans. I am an American (New England born) who has spent 12 years abroad working in London.

My company is now closing our office in NOLA and I am losing my job after 7 years with this company.

I have been job hunting but to be honest there is just not much in the NOLA area. I have expanded my search to neighboring Cities/States, such as Atlanta Georgia, Dallas & Houston Texas. I am getting much more in the way of job prospects out of Dallas & Houston.

The chances are pretty high that I will relocate to either of those two cities. My boyfriend has landed a good job here in New Orleans this past year so I can't very well take him away from that just yet. If I do relocate, he will stay for the next 6 months or so and we will take turns spending weekends together until he is able to join me. He tells me he likes Dallas better (He's an ex Los Angeles boy) and does not like Houston. I don't know as I have not been to either city. Either way I think Houston or Dallas would be an upgrade for him as he hates New Orleans.

If I do relocate to either city, I want to find a nice area to live in that is reasonable, sociable, friendly and is close to or in the gay neighborhoods of those cities.

I would like to hear some opinions on the best areas to live & perhaps some pointers on leasing an apartment (Dallas seems to have quite a competitive rental market).

I have looked at other posts in this forum in relation to cities in Texas but those focus more on opinions of which cities to live in rather than what areas within those cities people prefer to live in...

Houston is miserable... I've never been to a large city I hated so much. The people are great there and the boys are hot, but everything else from the heat to the concrete drives me nuts. Dallas I can stand on visits, but wouldn't want to live there. I'd pick Dallas of the two.

paulflexes saidWhat's your career? Some places are more (or less) suitable for certain careers. As far as a gay scene with good people, you can find that in most metropolises if you're patient and friendly.

stringman saidHave you or could you consider Austin. Great town. Great job market. Lots to do. Guys are friendly. Austin is the most "open" city in Texas.

I have not considered Austin. I will also look into the market for my occupation there and see what I find. It is roughly equidistant travel-wise form New Orleans, so my boyfriend would not have much further to travel on weekends..

calibro saidHouston is miserable... I've never been to a large city I hated so much. The people are great there and the boys are hot, but everything else from the heat to the concrete drives me nuts.

Yeah, this is almost exactly what my boyfriend says

He does go on to add that it is still better than New Orleans as far as he is concerned though ...

We are both used to large cosmopolitan cities. For him, Los Angeles and London are always his benchmark. For me, I am a bit more open minded and can fit in almost anywhere. I do prefer a racially diverse population, trendy yet friendly environments...

Houston tends to make a terrible impression on visitors. Its flaws are the first things you notice about the city, but its charms take time to discover. With tourist cities, the exact opposite dynamic is at work.

It's one of the country's most diverse cities and incredibly open to newcomers. It's not about who your parents are or where you went to school; it's about what you can do. People come here and start making their impact felt surprisingly quickly.

It's also an incredibly easy city in which to maintain a decent standard of living. I live in the kind of area the OP might want to consider. I can walk to most of the gay bars and to the light-rail line that takes me to work downtown, which is two miles away. I pay $800 a month for a two-bedroom apartment, though there are certainly pricier options available as well. (Houses do tend to go for more inside Loop 610 because of the proximity to downtown, and the lot size tends to increase the further outside the Loop you go.) I'd suggest you visit http://www.har.com and search for the kind of property you're interested in for ZIP codes 77006, 77098 and 77019 -- people may have others to add.

At the same time, the cultural amenities are such that on any given night or weekend you will have far more options than you can possibly consider, let alone indulge. We have tip-top museums and performing arts venues and one of the largest communities of working artists in the country. And, of course, the Texas Medical Center is a mecca for scientific talent. Houstonians are incredibly philanthropic, which helps keep all this going.

Whenever I go to another, more fabulous city, I immediately notice 10 things Houston lacks that the other city has. But by the end of the trip, those things just don't seem all that important.

slimnmuscly saidHouston tends to make a terrible impression on visitors. Its flaws are the first things you notice about the city, but its charms take time to discover. With tourist cities, the exact opposite dynamic is at work.

Interesting considering what has been said about the city by tourists. Perhaps I will have to give it a closer look.

slimnmuscly saidIt's one of the country's most diverse cities and incredibly open to newcomers. It's not about who your parents are or where you went to school; it's about what you can do. People come here and start making their impact felt surprisingly quickly.

Another interesting point considering where we are coming from...

slimnmuscly saidIt's also an incredibly easy city in which to maintain a decent standard of living. I live in the kind of area the OP might want to consider. I can walk to most of the gay bars and to the light-rail line that takes me to work downtown, which is two miles away. I pay $800 a month for a two-bedroom apartment, though there are certainly pricier options available as well.

Hmm, thats pretty much the way I used to live in London. Lived in a trendy area close to work with great transportation. I did not even need a car.

slimnmuscly saidAt the same time, the cultural amenities are such that on any given night or weekend you will have far more options than you can possibly consider, let alone indulge. We have tip-top museums and performing arts venues and one of the largest communities of working artists in the country. And, of course, the Texas Medical Center is a mecca for scientific talent. Houstonians are incredibly philanthropic, which helps keep all this going.

That's also important to me. I often went to west end theatre and other cultural entertainment events in London... My involvement with these things since relocating to New Orleans has fallen nearly to zero...

I am originally CA but have been living in Dallas since 2006. When I left CA, all of my friends back him acted like I was moving to a third-world country. The Dallas Metroplex has a lot to offer, and is much more progressive than I had expected. Dallas has actually been very good to me -- I have been very happy here.

Since you are living in NOLA, I don't think that I need to warn you about the climate in Houston. The few times that I have been there (in the summer), the heat and humidity were unbearable (Dallas is more humid than CA, but nothing compared with Houston).

Other members have mentioned Austin -- although I have never been there, my Dallas friends seem to mention it frequently as a pleasant place to visit and live. If you are looking at TX has your next home, I think that I would personally recommend either Dallas or Austin over Houston.

I've lived in Houston my entire life, visited plenty of other cities, I love Houston, I do not plan on moving at all.

I'm sure plenty of people will straight up attack what I just said. When all is said and done you have to make your own choice. I love Houston, the people are nice, traffic can suck but you get that every where, our freeways are easy to understand, the city is big but very easy to navigate.

Dallas is a very nice city. I got lost 3 times in deep ellum so that was not fun. the highways were not as easy to navigate in my opinion.

This is, as are all responses, personal opinion. If you do choose Houston, there are several areas to look into. If you want the gay area that would be Montrose, i love that area, great houses, interesting people, but not necessarily the safest area. there is also downtown, uptown, galleria (where i live), upper kirby, wes u, all very nice, all very easy to access freeways.

if you have any specific questions about Houston please feel free to send me a message.

calibro saidHouston is miserable... I've never been to a large city I hated so much. The people are great there and the boys are hot, but everything else from the heat to the concrete drives me nuts.

Yeah, this is almost exactly what my boyfriend says

He does go on to add that it is still better than New Orleans as far as he is concerned though ...

We are both used to large cosmopolitan cities. For him, Los Angeles and London are always his benchmark. For me, I am a bit more open minded and can fit in almost anywhere. I do prefer a racially diverse population, trendy yet friendly environments...

I didn't mention Austin because you said to stick to the cities you mentioned, but Austin is amazing. It's one of my favorite cities on the planet and hands down is far more enjoyable than either Dallas or Houston. Plus, it's an hour drive from San Antonio and about three hours from Dallas or Houston so you can still visit those cities without having to live there. Austin all the way. Austin isn't as racially diverse as Houston or Dallas, but it is diverse and politically and socially way more progressive. The entire city is such an interesting microcosm of cultures and it's just beautiful... you have a lake bisecting the downtown. It will given you environmentalism and trendiness.

Also, I lived in LA, NYC, and Auckland... so very large cities and I find Austin the easiest to call home of the cities in Texas.

slimnmuscly saidHouston tends to make a terrible impression on visitors. Its flaws are the first things you notice about the city, but its charms take time to discover. With tourist cities, the exact opposite dynamic is at work.

It's one of the country's most diverse cities and incredibly open to newcomers. It's not about who your parents are or where you went to school; it's about what you can do. People come here and start making their impact felt surprisingly quickly.

It's also an incredibly easy city in which to maintain a decent standard of living. I live in the kind of area the OP might want to consider. I can walk to most of the gay bars and to the light-rail line that takes me to work downtown, which is two miles away. I pay $800 a month for a two-bedroom apartment, though there are certainly pricier options available as well. (Houses do tend to go for more inside Loop 610 because of the proximity to downtown, and the lot size tends to increase the further outside the Loop you go.) I'd suggest you visit http://www.har.com and search for the kind of property you're interested in for ZIP codes 77006, 77098 and 77019 -- people may have others to add.

At the same time, the cultural amenities are such that on any given night or weekend you will have far more options than you can possibly consider, let alone indulge. We have tip-top museums and performing arts venues and one of the largest communities of working artists in the country. And, of course, the Texas Medical Center is a mecca for scientific talent. Houstonians are incredibly philanthropic, which helps keep all this going.

Whenever I go to another, more fabulous city, I immediately notice 10 things Houston lacks that the other city has. But by the end of the trip, those things just don't seem all that important.

Very well said on every single count. I suggest the OP considers each statement here. I would also add that Houston has a large Cajun influx (long before Katrina). This place is also quite diverse - and we are the first major city to have elected someone who is openly lesbian as mayor.

Houston is not pretty on the surface, hot and sticky, but once you find your home there, it's a marvelous place. Lots to do, not far at all from the Gulf. Gay spots are genuinely fun and lacking in attitude. Standard of living is pretty high: relatively cheap, with good income.

Austin, where I live, has a good standard of living, but it's a bit more expensive and income is lower for comparable work.

Dallas has beautiful men, and a fantastic airport. Find a place to live near a lake, and you'll enjoy it more (there's so much concrete there). Plus, Dallas will get snow when Houston and Austin will not.

Everything slimnmuscly had to say about Houston is absolutely accurate. It's not pretty but it's an incredibly dynamic place and a great place to make a career. It has a richly diverse, firendly, and creative population, has an incredible entrepreneurial energy, and doesn't care where you came from (unlike Dallas, which so does). If you can overcome the initial aesthetic shock you can build a happy and rewarding life here.As an alternative to the Montrose and Midtown areas suggested by slimnmuscly and cowboyalthlete let me also recommend the Rice Military/West End area ( the 77007 zipcode). Convenient to downtown and Memorial Park with its bike and jogging trails. Lots of trendy restaurants and affordable new-construction townhouses.

Ok, its looking like Dallas is now a top contender as I have a company that is offering me the right salary for which I would consider relocating.

I am going to Dallas this Wednesday (June 9th) overnight to Thursday. I will interview Wednesday afternoon at 4pm. Depending on the outcome of that interview, I will then view apartments and sign a lease on Thursday.

I am primarily looking in the Uptown/Oak Lawn area as its only about 20 minutes drive from the office. I am also looking at some areas just directly North of there (The office is in Addison).

I wanted to ask opinions on the best places to live in terms of apartments/areas? Do any of you live in a community/building/area that you would recommend?

I was born and raised in Texas and spent a good chunk of my adult life there so I know the state very, very well. The only city I could live in if I had to move back to Texas would be Austin. I suggest looking for a job there first and foremost.